Four Days of Board-ome on the North Island

Day 2

From deep slumber to painful aches, the day began much as the previous had ended – light, fluffy snow drifting down around the hotel. On the ground lay a new, if not especially deep, layer of powder. Breakfast in the traditional Japanese style – rice, a small cut of salmon, natto (fermented soybeans) and crisp nori (dry seaweed).

At the summit of the smaller of the two peaks, just above 1000 meters, the sun was shining and the wind was whipping. Near and in the trees, the snow remained soft and light for the first few runs, turning heavier as the day went on and the temperature rose. A fine spring day ensued.

From mid-afternoon the onsen (hot springs) beckoned, cutting the day short in avoidance of the icy conditions that would begin to form. The water steamed in a large room with baths of different description. The largest in one corner near a window looking out to a forested hill was shallow and mostly mild. A small bath waited at 20C (68F) to greet those emerging from the sauna. Nearby, a shallow bath held reclining bathers as air pulsed and massaged from below.

The most enjoyable of the baths, however, was found out a sliding glass door. A small, round bath deeper than those inside sat in the corner below a roof. It looked out, unobstructed, over a wooded hill. Had it been snowing at the time, it would have been picture-postcard perfect.

The dinner that followed was not the grand feast of the first night. Owing to financial considerations, an izakaya (a Japanese style bar) was found to be quite suitable. The fare varied, but mostly consisted of rice topped with sashimi and, being Hokkaido, salmon roe.

With muscles relaxed from the baths, and stomachs full, sleep came swiftly.